Preserving Public Education in the Age of Trump

Barbara Ferman, Professor of Political Science

Temple University

Public education has been under attack by promoters of privatization for many years. Labeled “education reform,” these attacks have come in the form of charter schools, school vouchers, and school closures. Now, the Trump administration has declared an all-out war on public education. What lessons have we learned from grassroots challenges to the first wave of privatization? Are those lessons still applicable; or is this a whole new landscape? Barbara Ferman, a political science professor at Temple, is founder and executive director of the University Community Collaborative, a social-justice initiative for students.